Occasional blog posts about social and political issues from a left-of-centre perspective by Martyn Sloman.

Menu

polling day at last

Two weeks ago I was delivering leaflets in the market town of Holt along with our District Council candidate, my friend Jono Read. It is a sedate place with most electors polite in their response and the occasional bored person keen to chat. It therefore came as a shock when a somewhat disheveled young woman opened her door and crumpled up a leaflet that we had put through her letterbox. She shouted so all in the street could hear: I’m fed up with the election and I won’t be voting.

I will be voting today. I intend to be the first at the polling station in our Village Hall when the poll opens at 0700 (I have scheduled today’s blog in advance using the excellent facility available on WordPress). However after 38 days of relentless activity I have some sympathy with the first half of the angry woman’s sentiment: I too am fed up. It has been a very long and exhausting campaign.

It will also be a very long day today. One of my sons has kindly agreed to act as my driver and, after I have voted, we will travel the 23 miles to North Walsham and assist in one of our best prospects for a Labour District Council seat. We will then tour the other polling stations in this large constituency to ensure that there are no impediments to voting. I know of one area where it is the Local Conservative candidate’s practice to stand at the entrance accompanied by his singularly unpleasant dog. I hope to take a break before departing for the election count, again in North Walsham, to discharge my responsibilities as Labour Party Agent and designated spokesperson should any dispute arise on the validity of a ballot paper or the accuracy of the figures. The count starts at 2000 on Thursday and could well go on to 0400 Friday morning: the count for the District Council will follow on Friday afternoon.

I have scheduled a prior prediction of the result here in North Norfolk so it appears as tomorrow’s blog. I will take a short break to recover over a weekend that fortunately includes a televised rugby game involving my beloved Cardiff Blues – this time it is their annual humiliation away at Llanelli. I fear that at least this a result that is predictable